Sunday, April 3, 2022

Pospisil and McCarl Top I-80 Opener

 It was another week of scrambled racing plans but in the end, I was able to pull off a weekend doubleheader, visiting tracks in Missouri and Nebraska, one of which I had never been to before. However, that event on Friday night will have to remain a mystery as I have chosen to not include that event in this blog. 

However, I am more than happy to talk about my Saturday night show which turned out to be the opening event of the 2022 racing season at the Kosiski family I-80 Speedway near Greenwood. 

Originally this was scheduled to be a double header weekend of racing but due to cold weather that didn't allow management to turn on the water and make the necessary preparations early enough, the event was reduced to a one night show on Saturday. The whole weekend plans were upended with the classes participating changed and a couple of classes were moved from the Friday night show to the Saturday night show while the opener for a couple other classes was postponed to an upcoming event. 

The SLMR Malvern Bank West Super Late Models would make their season opening debut on Saturday along with the Malvern Bank 360 Sprint Cars. The other classes to race on Saturday would be the Bragging Rights Late Models(IMCA type crate cars), the Stock Cars and the Compacts. Good fields of cars in all five classes varying from twenty one BR Late Models to the twenty eight Super Late Models would bring a total of one hundred and twelve cars to the track. The pits was jammed full with Joe Kosiski tucking a few cars where it seemed impossible that they might fit but eventually they were forced to pit a number of cars out beyond the back chute which then made coordinating things as cars pulled on to the track for their race just a bit more challenging. 

Especially impressive was that seventeen of the top twenty in SLMR West points from 2021 were on hand to start the season as it looks like the SLMR is set for a strong season. A couple new rookie drivers have joined the class this year also, making for another positive in a class that often struggles to add new blood to the class as the veterans get a bit longer in the tooth each year. 

Speaking of longevity, it was announced that Kyle Berck, long time racer in the Late Model class and multi time track champion at tracks throughout Nebraska, is this year starting his fourth decade of racing.

The 2022 opener was significant at I-80 for a couple of reasons. Number one, it was the first event at the track since Joe Kosiski, representing the entire family, was named the national RPM Promoter of the Year back in February in Florida, a deserving award for Joe and the family. April 2nd was also the opener for what apparently will be the last year for the Kosiski family track, I-80 Speedway to exist. 

The events of Saturday night just go to show just what a difficult sport this can be from time to time. When the best in the business, which the Kosiski family clearly are, produce a rubbered up mess for a race track, which is exactly what they had on Saturday night, it just goes to show how tough promoting can be from time to time. I bring this up simply because when the Kosiski's struggle with track prep and track conditions which they did on this night, then perhaps we shouldn't be quite so quick to criticize the local track when opening night conditions aren't just what we as fans and drivers would hope for. If we put down the keyboard and be just a bit more forgiving when things aren't perfect, it would be beneficial for all of the sport because it is going through enough challenges of its own right now, with out those of us that go to races to also submarine things. This is not meant as a criticism of the Kosiski's but rather a nod to the realization of how tough this sport can be from time to time fighting the weather, early season soil conditions and a whole host of other considerations.    

The practice session on Friday night was run with real dry track conditions and plenty of dust I was told, likely with the idea of firming up the racing surface for Saturday. They did a nice smooth track on Saturday but it was very dry and quickly started to rubber up once the feature races started. Most evident during the Super Late Model and Sprint Car mains, it definitely altered the racing and caused a lot of tire problems late in the Sprint feature. 

Time trials for the Super Late Models started off the night and even though they invert six and then use passing points in the heats, they still chose to first qualify. The field of cars was big enough that B Features were necessary for the Super Late Models, Sprints and Stock Cars. 

Bragging Rights Late Models would run their feature event first and it was  a tough night for many of the teams. They started with nineteen cars and had only ten left running at the end in a race that dragged with seven yellow flags and some bent up equipment on opening night. 

Jarrett Getzschman would lead early with Jake Bridge and Zach Zeitner challenging. Zeitner would power into the lead but all the yellows would bite him as he started to struggle on restarts and when he got out of the rubber, he fell back all the way to third. Defending champion Bridge showed how he got those honors as he drove to the lead and would hold off all challenges from Kyle Prauner and Zeitner to take the win. 

The Compacts would run second with all able allowed to start the twelve lap main. They did a good job of running under the green with just two yellows slowing the action. Drake Bohlmeyer started on the pole and he destroyed the field, leading by nearly a full straightaway until a late yellow bunched the field. He took off again on the two lap sprint to the finish, winning easily over Denny Berghahn Jr. and Trent Reed. About half the field dropped out during the race with attrition very high. 

The 360 Sprints had a surprise finish after late race developments. Chris Martin started on the pole and led early but he was quickly overtaken by Jason Martin for the lead. Jason was flying as he pulled to nearly a full straightaway lead on the rubber track. Terry McCarl was second but was not going to challenge in any way. Jason Martin ran into trouble as he got up to a group of slower cars and he began to have trouble getting by them with the narrow, sticky groove. 

If he was have just slowed down a bit , rather than pushing the issue with his big lead he would have been fine. Of course he didn't know this and as he kept trying to get past the slower cars, they got all messed up coming off the tricky second corner and Martin hammered the wall on the back chute, ending his night and truly giving one away. 

McCarl was the pleased recipient of the lead and he made sure to drive carefully and stay in the groove as he won over Seth Brahmer and Jack Dover. The expensive Hoosiers that the drivers were running were not up to the task of lasting for twenty five laps as Chris Martin and Kaleb Johnson, both running in the top five, blew right rear tires on the last lap and while they limped across the line, they lost their spots and had to settle for back of the pack finishes. 

With this clearly being a split crowd, about half the crowd left on this cool and windy night after the Sprint Car feature as the Late Models pulled on to the track. This was a clear indication to me that just like River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks North Dakota, even if you are running a Late Model special, if you want a big crowd, which they did on this night, you better be running the Sprints also. 

The Late Model feature turned into twenty five laps of a high speed train as the track was fully rubbered at this point and there would be little passing. Corey Zeitner got the jump off the outside pole but when he made one mistake and got out of the rubber once, Tad Pospisil was right there to jump on the opening and he shot into the lead. After that he rode along comfortably as the race ran non stop, green to checkers. 

His only problem would be when he caught lapped traffic near the end of the race. The lapped cars were running the same line and nearly as fast on the rubber so Pospisi was held up. While he did have a comfortable lead, he didn't know that and made some bold and risky moves to pass the slower cars. His last move, coming to the white, was a scary outside pass on Andrew Kosiski but he managed to pull it off and drove home without a challenge. 

Zeitner would settle for second with Billy Leighton third. It was a good start to the season for the defending point champion in the Malvern Bank series. Only two cars failed to finish the race. 

The Stock Cars would finish up the proceedings with twenty cars going eighteen laps. The outside pole was the place to be at the start and Matt Boucher would take the early lead with pressure from Josh Foster and Brad Derry. Todd Reitzler, who had looked fast all night, came storming up from the third row and moved into second. 

Boucher might have been OK but when he got out of the rubber, Reitzler was right there to take advantage and he bolted into the lead. This race also went non stop and Reitzler would hold off some strong challenges from Kyle Prauner to take the win. Boucher would settle for third. 

There was not wasted time during this show as once time trials were completed, it was time to race and the whole show went off without an intermission or any delays of any kind. It was simply race after race, nonstop with the victory lane photos and interviews held after the last checkered flag. All racing was done right around 10 pm which was very good, considering the number of races held and the fact that the push starting needed Sprints were a part of the show. 

Thanks to the Kosiski family and all the other workers at the track, which has a big season of scheduled events right into the first part of October. The folks at the pit gate are always extra super here. 

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